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Sunday, December 22, 2013

As the year ends and we remember many who are now gone, one man celebrates 100 years...

Marc Platt (shown here, in the purple shirt, in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers)turned 100 on December 2

He was born Marcel LePlat in Pasadena, California on December 2, 1913, but was raised in Seattle, Washington. His training as a dancer began at age 11 at the local dance studio of Mary Ann Wells. In his early 20s, he auditioned and was selected for the chorus of the newly formed Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo by the company's famed choreographer, Léonide Massine (The Red Shoes). His last name was changed to "Platoff" because so many of the group's dancers (as well as the company's roots) were Russian. Working his way up to become a soloist who premiered several roles as well as choreographing his own works, he remained with the the companyfor six years. His (uncredited) film debut came with the Jean Negulesco-directed short, The Gay Parisian (1941), a showcase for the Ballet Russe.He left the troupe in 1942 and, as Marc Platt, alternated between the New York stage and the Hollywood soundstage for many years. On Broadway, he was part of the original 1943 cast of the Rogers & Hammerstein classic, Oklahoma!, creating the role of "Dream Curly."

Marc Platt and Katharine Sergava in the original Broadway production of Oklahoma!

Tonight and Every Night (1945), starring Rita Hayworth

In 1945, he co-starred with Rita Hayworth and Janet Blair in the Technicolor musical, Tonight and Every Night, but the film role for which he is best known came nine years later with Stanley Donen's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). Platt portrayed the fourth of the brawny "seven brothers," Daniel Pontipee. Here's Marc, in the purple shirt again, and "his brothers" in the legendary "barn raising" dance number (Note: the occasional hiss heard at the clip's beginning doesn't last)...

A year later, in 1955, he would appear in a speaking and dancing role in Fred Zinnemann's film adaptation of Oklahoma! starring Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae.

Marc Platt would enjoy a multifaceted career. He acted on series TV from the 1950s into the early 1990s, served as dance director for Radio City Music Hall and went on to open his own dance studio in Florida, with his wife, dancer Jane Goodall.

At 91, Platt appeared as himself in the enchanting 2005 documentary, Ballets Russes, a film that traces the beginnings of the original Ballets Russes under Serge Diaghelev through its transformation, following Diaghelev's death in 1929, into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo under Léonide Massine. Many of the company's dancers - in their 70s, 80s and 90s in 2005 - including Platt, are interviewed, and performance footage illustrates the company's history.

As of this writing, Mr. Platt will have at least one more credit coming his way. He is set to appear in a documentary now in post-production, Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age, a sequel to Broadway: The Golden Age (2003).

Marc Platt at the party celebrating his 100th birthday in Mill Valley, California, on December 8 (photo by Sarah Rice)

Mr. Platt might well attribute his long years to the advice he gave to the reporter who covered his birthday party, "Always do what you love for as long as you can." Of himself he said, "I'm always a dancer."

While it's been a sad couple of weeks bidding goodbye to several beloved stars, it's a joy to learn that Mr. Platt is still with us---and he appears to be surrounded by loved ones as he celebrates his centennial birthday.

Thanks for this great piece, which helps us get to know Mr. Platt a bit better.

Mr. Plat must have been quite a dancer indeed to join the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo- a remarkable journey from Pasadena. Thank you for bringing him and his long life to our attention Lady Eve.I'll think of him whenever I see that wonderful dance scene in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Christian, I recorded "Seven Brides" on TCM this morning just to take a closer look at Mr. Platt. The excellent "Ballets Russes" documentary features clips of Mr. Platt as a young dancer, when he was part of the company.

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